Unite to demand clarity over future staffing levels at RBS

Unite to demand clarity over future staffing levels at RBS

21 February 2014

Unite, Britain’s biggest union, will be meeting RBS next week to demand clarity over staffing levels in the UK amid reports that the bank is poised to cut a further 30,000 jobs.

CEO Ross McEwan has told staff today that there will be no big announcement on jobs next week. However, there is still likely to be fear and uncertainty amongst UK staff who have witnessed and been victim to successive restructurings since 2008, leading to over 30,000 job losses.

Reports in the media suggested that RBS is planning to make the cuts to jobs at its investment bank and a further 18,500 jobs at its US retail and commercial bank.

Unite national officer Rob Macgregor said: “Unite will be meeting RBS next week to demand clarity over staffing levels in the UK. The constant leaks and media briefings that appear to be coming from RBS are having a terrible effect on workers and their families and it needs to stop.

“CEO Ross McEwan has now told staff that there will be no big announcement on jobs next week. But after over 30,000 job cuts and constant reorganisations, morale is low, workloads are increasing and staff feel there is still no end in sight.

“According to the CEO, next week’s results will be about explaining the bank’s ambition to become a great bank for customers. Our message to RBS is that if it wants to deliver on that commitment then it needs all its staff and they need to be treated with respect, rather than being used as disposable pawns.”

ENDS

Contact Ciaran Naidoo on 07768 931 315

Twitter: @unitetheunion, Facebook: unitetheunion1

Notes to editors:

Unite is Britain and Ireland’s largest trade union with over 1.4 million members working across all sectors of the economy. The general secretary is Len McCluskey.